


A Knight's Tale

by Clea2011



Series: Pornalot 2016 entries [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 19:05:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7769524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clea2011/pseuds/Clea2011
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The trouble with Gwaine, Leon thought irritably, was that he just didn’t respect authority.  Most importantly, although he didn’t respect authority generally, he specifically didn’t respect Leon’s authority.  And that just wasn’t on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Knight's Tale

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the round 1 Pornalot 2016 challenge 'Authority'  
> It also fills the hc bingo square 'Fighting'.

The trouble with Gwaine, Leon thought irritably, was that he just didn’t respect authority.  Most importantly, although he didn’t respect authority generally, he specifically didn’t respect Leon’s authority.  And that just wasn’t on.

“I’m First Knight,” he reminded Gwaine, as the knight turned up over an hour late for training.  Yet again.  “Arthur’s second.  You should respect me as you would him.”

That last part was, he reflected later, probably a mistake.

Gwaine shrugged, unconcerned.  “Okay, Deputy Princess.  Keep your pants on.”

Leon couldn’t even protest that Gwaine wouldn’t speak to Arthur like that, because he knew perfectly well that Gwaine would.

The problem was, Gwaine was a bloody good knight and they couldn’t afford to lose him.  He was also a show-off, needed a haircut, and never, ever understood how seriously he should take anything.  Ever.

That particular day Gwaine was extremely trying.  The sun was shining brightly, and Leon was sweating uncomfortably in his cloak and armour.  Gwaine wasn’t.  Gwaine had removed his cloak, then his armour, and finally his shirt. 

Leon was scandalised.  He had said as much when the armour came off, which may possibly have been the cause of the shirt removal.  Another mistake. 

It was unheard of.  It was unseemly.  It was… actually, it was delicious and that was putting Leon off his moves.

“Ow!” he yelled when Gwaine whacked him across the chest with the flat edge of his sword.

“Weren’t paying attention there, were you Deputy Princess?” Gwaine grinned.

Leon drew himself up proudly, trying not to show how badly Gwaine had winded him.  “I most certainly was.”

“Not to the fighting,” Gwaine winked. 

Appalling man.

Gwaine feinted right, which afforded Leon an excellent and distracting view of his torso and toned and impressive upper left bicep, then twisted ridiculously quickly and flattened Leon with a single strike.

Somewhere behind him, Leon could hear Elyan snicker.  The discipline failure was spreading.  Gwaine was corrupting them all. 

“Capitulate?”

“A fortunate blow,” Leon spluttered, pushing away Gwaine’s offered hand and getting to his feet in as dignified a manner as he could.

“I could give you a much more fortunate blow than that,” Gwaine leered.  “If you play your cards right.”

Obviously Leon had misheard him.  Because that couldn’t be right.  That sounded almost as if Gwaine were propositioning him.  It had to be all those blows to the head he’d received in combat during his long and loyal service to Camelot over the years, making him imagine things.

Gwaine flicked back his hair, grinning rakishly at Leon.  Perhaps he wasn’t imagining things. “Well?”

“I don’t have time for playing cards,” Leon told him primly.  “Put your clothes back on, you’re frightening the squires.”

Gwaine didn’t put his clothes back on.  “The squires don’t look very frightened,” he pointed out.

Young Galahad did, but then Galahad was very pure and looked shocked by most things.  The rest of the squires were ogling Gwaine, there was no getting away from it.  Very wrong.

“I think you’ve done enough training here for today,” Leon announced.  “Go and practise jousting or something.”  He turned to partner Elyan instead.  Still, Gwaine wouldn’t go away.

“Got a long pole I can handle?” he piped up from behind Leon.

Leon glanced round.  Gwaine was still shirtless.  It was horribly distracting.  For the second time that morning Leon went sprawling, this time from Elyan’s carefully aimed blow.

It was annoying, it made Leon look incompetent, and it was all Gwaine’s fault.

“Not doing very well today, are you?” Gwaine noted. “A good shag would fix that.”

“Go.  Away.” Leon said through gritted teeth.

 Gwaine went.

\---

Mercifully, Leon didn’t see Gwaine again for the rest of the day.  He hoped rather than believed that Gwaine had got the message.  Or, perhaps, was pestering someone else.

Much, much later Leon headed back for his quarters.  The door was ajar, which wasn’t unusual because the chambermaids had no idea about security.  But there was also a loud, unpleasant snoring noise coming from his bed.  Leon recognised it from meetings at the Round Table, usually during one of his more thoughtful report readings.  He didn’t need to see the tumble of unfeasibly glossy hair as the intruder woke and turned to look at Leon to know who it was.  Damn him for being far too enticing.

“Get out of my bed, Gwaine.”

Gwaine did not get out of his bed, merely lay back, hands folded behind his head, grinning at Leon.  “Would you prefer the floor?  Or the table?  I’m easy.”

Yes, Leon reflected.  That was what castle gossip had agreed.  “That’s nothing to be proud of.”

Gwaine flipped back the sheet to reveal himself in all his erect and magnificent glory.

Now _that_ was something to be proud of.  Judging by the smug look on Gwaine’s face, he _was_ proud of it. 

Leon sniffed as disdainfully as he could.  “Well, I suppose it would be rude to leave you in that state,” he sighed, starting to undress before he changed his mind.  “I have a duty of care to my knights.”  Leon’s sense of duty was considerable, especially when he might get to top. 

“Whatever,” Gwaine shrugged.  “As long as I get a shag out of it.”

“Idiot,” Leon said, without much bite, climbing into bed.  He leaned in to capture Gwaine’s mouth.  That had the advantage of shutting him up too.

Later, tired and sated, Leon found himself actually cuddling.  And cuddling Gwaine of all people.  Gwaine was talking again…

“Tomorrow,” Gwaine began.  “We could all practice shirtless.  Swords, or maybe mud wrestling?”

“Mud wrestling?”  Leon grumbled, thinking of his glorious red cloak. “That sounds filthy.”

“Mmm, only if you do it right,” Gwaine hummed.  He sat up, then shifted over until he was straddling Leon.  “Don’t worry, I’ll show you.”

Leon gazed up at that muscular torso and perfect hair, feeling himself hardening at the sight.

“Wanna fuck me again?” Gwaine offered.

It wasn’t deferential or respectful. 

Leon didn’t care.


End file.
